My lithotripsy

Yesterday was my lithotripsy. It went pretty well as far as doing what it was supposed to do. I got to the hospital a little early...around 10:40 or so. I had to be there at 11, and my procedure was to be at 1:00. They called me in right away, and all the pre-surgical stuff that the short-stay unit had to do was done by 11:05....ekg, urine pregnancy test (I swear they've done so many of those lately...it's like they think not having a period since February 2006 is ABNORMAL or something *cough*), pre-procedure vitals etc. They had this really cool thermometer. It reminded me of Star Trek, because it didn't even touch you. They just pushed a button and ran it over my forehead and behind my ear down my neck a little. It made these little bleeping sounds. I want one.

Speaking of Star Trek, that's what Brian and I watched for the next hour while we waited for them to come get me for my real pre-procedure stuff. It was around 12:30 when they came for me and brought me down to a different floor. There they started my IV, and took me down the hall for an xray. When I got back, Dr. Rodriguez (the urologist) came in. I hadn't met him, and I could tell he was trying to remember me....I had seen his physician's assistant in the office. He was typical surgeon. Not much of a people person....doing his best work when people are asleep. He probably thought he had seen me in the office, because he "couldn't remember what tests we had done that saw the stone." Apparently the xray they had just taken was "not impressive." I was kind of hoping that meant I didn't have to have the procedure, but no such luck. It only meant that the makeup of my stone was probably porous, and just didn't show up well on the xray (denser stones will show up white I guess), and he wanted to add an extra procedure called a cystoscopy....a procedure where they put a little camera up the urethra and look around in the bladder. Ouch. So, whatever...I signed the consent. I would be asleep anyway.

Then I met the anesthesiologist. When he introduced himself, I tried not to laugh. He had this high pitched funny voice, and his name was "Dr. Peaches". He also had to be about 80 years old. For the third time, it was explained to me that they don't use the "immersion" tub anymore. (I had asked the question when the pre-procedure nurse called me a few days before, because my paperwork said "the shockwaves pass through water". So I guess everyone I met felt they had to make sure I knew it wasn't like that anymore). Now they just put you on a surgical-type table, and a gel-like membrane thing is lined up with the area of the stone, and the shockwaves pass through that. After I finished talking to Dr Peaches, he raised his eyebrows and said, "It's time to go." It was kind of Kevorkian-ish...lol. So they brought me to the lithotripsy holding area (incidentally, the same room where I had my xray) and it wasn't long and I was sleeping.

When I woke up, I was ok. I felt a little ache in my back. They gave me back my glasses, and told me something about the stone, and that they think they got it all. I was more aware than I thought I would be at that point, but still the details are a bit fuzzy. I guess it took a little while for me to wake up....I think I saw 2:30 on the clock. I remember my first thought was, I really have to pee! But I didn't feel like I would be able to get up, even if they had let me, so I just laid there. After the recovery room, they took me back to the short stay unit where I had started. As time passed, my back hurt more and more. The nurse had warned me that some people don't feel anything. Other people feel like they've been kicked in the kidney by a mule. I guess I was in the latter category, only it was a really big, powerful mule. Or maybe a buffalo had trampled me. I wasn't sure. But when the nurse asked me if I wanted pain meds, I said "No thanks, I'm ok." Stubborn. I get that from my husband. A few minutes later, I buzzed the nurse because I really had to go to the bathroom. She had said that is not unusual after this procedure. So she came in, and set up my pee-hat in the toilet. She said "Wow you must really want to leave huh." The criteria for being able to go home was to urinate once. So I did, and without too many details....it burned (from the cystoscopy) and it was very very bloody (also normal, but weird). Then I went back to bed and laid on one side, then the other. There was no comfortable position. The pain kept getting worse. I just wanted to go home, so I buzzed the nurse and told her I was ready. She came in and took out my IV and said it would be about 10 minutes for transport to come take me down in a wheelchair. Brian helped me get dressed and I laid down on my belly on the bed. That seemed to be most "comfortable". Along with the pain was a good amount of nausea. Finally as we were waiting, I broke down and asked the nurse for a Vicodin.

The ride down to the parking area in the wheelchair was hell. I was in pain, and trying not to get sick. That hospital is like a maze, and it seemed like forever to reach the entrance we had come in. It was a long walk WITHOUT pain and nausea when we arrived. Much worse when every bump made me hurt, and going down the ramps too fast make me want to hurl. When we got to the door, the transport girl and I waited while Brian got the car. While we were waiting, I thought I was going to lose it, and I didn't have anything to throw up in. The transport girl ran and got me a bucket, but just in time, Brian pulled up and she wheeled me outside. The cold air seemed to cure it. Whew.

When I got home, I took another Vicodin, and slept while Brian went to get the baby and get me some Chicken Noodle Soup from Panera. Today is much much better. Still achy, but not excruciating. To be honest, my C-section hurt less than that. And this one didn't have an incision. Weird. Sometime today or tomorrow I'll start passing the pieces I guess. I have to save them for my followup appointment in 30 days. They have to be analyzed to see what it's made of, as there are several different kinds of stones. It's probably made of Taco Bell, or other fast food. :) I'm just glad it's over.